Braised Pork Cheeks in Wine Sauce
These Braised Pork Cheeks in Wine Sauce are a classic Spanish-style dish, slowly simmered with red wine, sweet sherry, garlic, and herbs until the pork cheeks turn meltingly tender and the sauce becomes rich and glossy.
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork cheeks
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 leek chopped
- 1 carrot chopped
- 100 ml red wine
- 100 ml sweet sherry wine
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- ⅓ teaspoon thyme
- 300 ml water
Instructions
- Season the pork cheeks with salt and pepper.
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sear the seasoned pork cheeks until browned on all sides, about 3–4 minutes per side. Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add chopped onions to the pot, season with salt, and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add sliced garlics to the pot, and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add chopped leek to the pot, and sauté. Add chopped carrot to the pot, and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Return the seared pork cheeks to the pot.
- Pour in the red wine and sweet sherry wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir to combine and pour in enough water to almost cover the pork cheeks.
- Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 1 hour until the pork cheeks are tender.
- Remove the pork cheeks from the pot and set aside. Blend the sauce until smooth with a hand blender.
- Simmer over heat to medium-high heat until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 10–15 minutes.
- Return the pork cheeks to the pot and cook for 5–8 minutes, tossing to coat in the sauce.
- Serve the braised pork cheeks hot with mashed potatoes or a side of your choice.
Notes
Sear the Pork Cheeks Properly: I always give them a good 3–4 minutes per side until they get a rich golden crust; it adds so much depth to the final sauce.
Scrape Up the Good Bits: After pouring in the wine, I make sure to stir well and get every bit of flavor off the bottom of the pot; it’s where the magic happens.
Blend the Sauce Until Silky: I like to blend the sauce really well with a hand blender to make it smooth and velvety before reducing.
Simmer the Cheeks in Sauce: Once the sauce is thickened, I let the cheeks simmer a few more minutes in it so every bite is full of that rich flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 783kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 60g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 180mg | Sodium: 1036mg | Potassium: 895mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2952IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3mg